Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-09-06

awaited lem there. They took care not {
mako II sound, and oven the mother place
her hand upon the child's lips. Roger, think
ing that they were asleep, retired softly, care
/, full not TO awaken them. Opposite to that o
| his wife and at the other extremity of tn
, parlor was his own room, and he entered il
| Every sound ceased. Everything seemed t
sleep Only a quarter of an hour ago thes
I two had been on the balcony, happy and i'm
patient to SEQ Roger Aud now three live
were wrecked in that short space.
Midnight sounded, and at last 1 o'clock
Henriettc did not try even TO sleep. She sa
silent and overcome in the chair beside tn
bed Of her child, and at last, thinking tina
Suzanne slept, sho turned her gaze towar,
her, and seeing tho eyes closed thought tina
the poor little thing had forgot her fear AM
horror at least for time.
"0h, my God" whispered she, Shave pit.
upon that poor innocent one"
She then rose softly and crcpt TO the doc
and opened il slightly and listened. There
was no sound. She crept like n shadow int
the parlor and took few steps forward, but
suddenly stopped behind the piano, as she saw
that Rogers door was wide open, and by the
light of lamp she could see him seated, pale
aud distressed, with his head leaning upon
his hands. His face was convulsed, his eyst
fixed and his hair and beard in wild disorder.
Roger was 80 years old; at this instant la
looked So On tho bureau, within reach OF
his hand, lay a small revolver, the revolver
which had triumphed over tho last agony Uf
NJ. Larouette And the lamp burned on with
It's steady flame, giving this spectacle TO the
watching wife.
Henriette looked, absorbing every detail OF
this final picture, when suddenly she felt bc-
tween her locked fingers a cold little band,
and turning found that Suzanne had arisen
from her bed and that she, too, was watching.
Hidden thus behind the piano they did not
| lose sight of LlroquS an instant
All at once, as il his thoughts were too
| dreadful TO bear, he rose and began pacing
| his room with uncertain, staggering steps,
| Often, even, he took hold OF something to
keep himself from falling. At last he stopped
| before tho bureau, and hid his face in his
! hands. One would have thought that ho
wept Was It ramorsel
Then he let his hands fall and reached and
took the revolver, cooked it and held it ready
in his left hand, while with the other he un.
buttoned his redlngote, threw aside tho cape,
opened his vestments, leaving bare his breast.
Then, without tremor, he placed the muzzle
of the pistol to his heart and with his finger
on the trigger stood an instant, but he dared
not complete bis impious act, and he threw
th, pistol back on the bureau.
And then Roger threw himself into chair
and continued his train of thought, while
Henriette caught Suzanne as she tainted and
carried her lack Into her room, and he heard
nothing. Tho night passed thus. Henriette
did not go to bed, Suzanne lay in hor cot,
but without sleeping, for her eyes remained
wide open until morning, keeping always
their expression OF horror.
About 8 o'clock Henriette dressed herself,
and afterward disordered her bed, the pillows
and all, to not awaken Victoria's suspicious,
and to cause her to believe that she had
slept. Sho must dissemble. She could not
do otherwise. She would DO obliged to leave
Der room and meet her husband, speak 10
| him, smile even, that he might not suspect
shat she had witnessed his crime. And even
while dressing Suzanne, she felt a force I'M
Known superhuman, which obliged her to go
out on that fatal balcony, and look towards
that little house with green blinds. The win
dows were still open there lay the rigid
corpse OF Laronctte beside tho secretary.
which had all tho drawers open.
She heard Roger come out OF his room,
traverse the parlor and knock at her doos. 1t
was ended; sho must meet him. One last kiss
she gave to Suzanne and then opened the
door TO her husband, who entered smiling.
He was not dressed as he had been the day
before, but in black.
Roger Laroque was tall, wore oil his beard,
which was jet black, and his face was expires.
sive and sympathetic, though it indicated
mora man of action than dreamer. This
morning his face was nshy pale, his eyes
sunllen and his forehead wrinkled, and he
showed traces Of an anxiety which he tried in
vain to hide, and though he smiled on his
wife that smile was forced. He took her hand
and bent 20 kiss her, saying in his tender and
sweet voice:
"How uneasy you must have felt last night,
my dear, but could not help it. had very
| Important business, which SO occupied me
that l had no time to telegraph But"-
And here he stopped, surprised Ho had
bent 10 kiss her foi+head and Henrietta had
shrunk back with an instructive movement OF
horror.
"Whnt ails your said he, apparently hurt
by her GOODNESS.
And then for the first he noticed her ex-
IRENE pallor, her troubled mien. To receive
a caress from that mun, after what she had
scent 1t was more than she could bear Yet
she must feign. "Nothing," said sho; moth
ing. Why should there be anythingi" And
with her whole soul in revolt she received his
cares, which treasured him, and no said,
gayly;
LAST night when l came In knocked at
your door, but you wero asleep. Only fow
years ago you would havo waited later than
that. Who knows il anybody loves me now"
And there was that man talking of Lowell
And she would always be obliged to listen, to
answer From what height had she fallen
and how completely the fall had shattered
her heart, her life
swell" said he again, "what is i'll Are you
illi 1 see you ore pale and weary. Why
don't you look at met Have l distressed
You without knowing i'll Are you vexed with
me for having caused your anxiety last
nightl Tell me, at least"
She must speak One moment she gathered
her forces to tell him ALL to accuse him, to
Danish him forever from her presence. But
she could not, she dared not 1t was better
that he never know that he had had his wife
and child for witnesses to his terrible crime.
Better never let him know, and thus she would
not become his accomplish. Her little girl
stood by. She had told that child that, il
ever Justice should accuse him, 'you have
seen nothing, heard nothing" She must
now show that child how one must felgn,
how lie. And so, half Jainting with the
horror OF it, she murmurel:
"What have you done shat 1 should love
you no longeri love you. What have l
done that you doubt itl"
So great was Rogers preoccupaton that he
heard only those words, without noticing tho
motion. He went to Suzanne, who during
his scene had been standing beside a chair
md lifting her up in his arms gayly, as lie
always did, began to talk 10 her in his nc
.ustomed manner, which was TO address her
Is If she were some grand stranger, all tho
while tossing her and playing with her almost
'oughly
E-I-----